The Nissan Pixo might have the honour of being the cheapest city car on sale, but is it cheerful enough to be compared to more modern rivals? Think it looks like a Suzuki Alto? Well, you'd be right as the Pixo shares most of the design and engineering with the baby Suzuki and is also built at the same Indian plant. The Pixo might have a version of the Nissan family nose, with different headlights, grille and bumpers, but it's still difficult to tell the two cars apart. Still, at least the bold wheel lips and the raised rear window line give the Pixo a clean and modern, if unimaginative look. The driving position is generally good, and there's enough space even for taller drivers, though rear legroom suffers. Head, leg and kneeroom are all limited in the back of the Pixo, with the upswept rear windows making it a claustrophobic place to sit. We weren't expecting limo-like levels of quality and equipment in a city car priced under £10,000, but compared with other city car rivals the level of fit and finish was disappointing. All the plastics felt hard, sharp and shiny with mismatched grains. Still, air-conditioning, electric front windows and a single-disc CD player were standard on the N-TEC model supplied for this test. The Pixo's boot is tiny, with just a 129-litre capacity. It can be extended to a more respectable 367-litres with the rear seat folded. So, there's probably just enough room for a weeks worth of shopping. There is no finesse to the Pixo's performance and handling. You have to work the 67bhp, three-cylinder 1.0-litre petrol engine hard to perform. Still, the Pixo averages an impressive 65.7mpg, emits just 103g/km of CO2 and wears its Pure Drive badge with pride. There's lots of body roll in corners and the Pixo's ride borders on the uncomfortable, it crashes at low speeds and gets bouncy as you go faster. The Pixo might be the cheapest car on sale but its interior and driveability disappoint. Nissan Pixo 1.0 N-TEC Price: £8,250 Engine: 1.0-litre, three-cylinder Power: 67bhp, 120Nm Max speed: 96.3mph 0-60mph: 14s MPG: 65.7mpg Emissions:103g/km Verdict: The Pixo might be cheap and will no doubt prove cost-effective to run, but its interior is disappointing and it's no fun to drive out of town.